Firemen called out 2,700 times to help obese

Fire fighters are helping more than one obese person every day in need of
medical treatment or simply stuck in the bath at a cost of millions of
pounds, research has found.

'Rescues' included removing people who were 'stuck' in the bath and helping obese people who fall out of bed

11:00PM GMT 11 Nov 2012

Fire and rescue services have been forced to respond to almost 3,000 emergency call outs to help obese people in the last five years.

'Rescues' included removing people who were 'stuck' in the bath and helping obese people who fall out of bed.

Some fire services will now only respond when a person needs urgent medical attention.

Firefighters themselves are being injured in the 'rescues', suffering strained muscles and pulled backs as they struggle under the weight of people who eat too much.

The most expensive call out was carried out by Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) at a cost of over £11,000.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the BBC's 5 live Investigates programme revealed that fire crews were called to more than 2,700 incidents over a five-year period between the financial years of 2007/2008 and 2011/2012.

Out of 58 fire and rescue services in the UK, 53 responded, with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service attending the most calls - a total of 189.

Fife Fire and Rescue Service in east Scotland revealed that it has been called to help obese members of the public who have fallen out of bed.

Tayside's firefighters have assisted a number of people who have been stuck in the bath, as well as helping undertakers who have been unable to move bodies because of their size.

The Chief Fire Officers Association says the fire services' ethos is to assist people in distress or at risk.

Alan Kernohan, area manager for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said rescuing obsese or bariatric patients would only happen in an emergency.

"This year three of our firefighters received muscle strain while attempting to remove a bariatric patient from a home," he said.

"So, we are reviewing our procedures and equipment for dealing with this kind of rescue.

"We will respond immediately if anyone is in need of urgent medical attention - but in a non-emergency situation, then we will make a risk assessment and discuss the outcomes with the ambulance service or any other agency who has requested our help."